THE WORLD'S BEST COFFEE - JAMAICA TOURIST ISSUE 15
Jamaica is world famous for its authentic ‘Blue Mountain Coffee’. Native to Yemen, from where the Europeans carried it across the globe, folklore has it that Louis XV of France sent three Arabica coffee bean plants to Martinique in 1723. Two plants died en route, while the lone surviving plant somehow ended up in Jamaica, spurring the birth of the island’s coffee industry. Bring some of the world’s most exclusive coffee back home so that you can enjoy a freshly brewed cup at breakfast, or take a couple of burlap bags home as a gift for family and friends.
Rising 7,402 feet above sea level, the majestic Blue Mountains are considered the most scenic mountains in the Caribbean. Stretching between Port Antonio and Kingston, the fertile area house tiny, quaint settlements, excellent hiking trails and breathtaking panoramas. They are also the home of Blue Mountain® coffee. At about 3,000 feet, several small plantations dot the mountainside and offer a welcome opportunity to stop and enjoy a cup of the world’s best coffee to the backdrop of awesome scenery.
With a temperature of around 60 degrees Fahrenheit at higher elevation, the Blue Mountains pose an ideal climate in which to grow the Arabica bean. More fragile, but larger and more flavorful than the widely used Robusta bean, it contains less caffeine and produces a better quality of coffee. Hand-picked, the harvest of Blue Mountain® coffee beans is laborious and occurs only when the beans, or ‘cherries’ as they are dubbed locally, are ripe.
In 1953 the government decreed that only coffee grown between 2,000 – 5,000 feet in a specific region of the Blue Mountain range could be certified as 100 percent ‘Blue Mountain® Coffee’. Coffee beans from these areas are processed by four estates: Mavis Bank, Silver Hill, Moy Hall and the Government Station at Wallenford. Any other coffee grown in the Blue Mountains is graded ‘High Mountain’ or ‘Low-Land’ coffee. According to the quality-control system established by the Coffee Industry Board, identifying marks and labels on all Blue Mountain® coffee packages assure premier quality and indicate whether the coffee is a blend or 100 percent.
In the 1990s, the Fletcher family found that many everyday habits of early Jamaican lifestyle were disappearing in the heart of Kingston, including the aroma of real Blue Mountain® coffee. Committed to bringing coffee roasting back to its traditionally high standards, Mark and John Fletcher established The Coffee Roasters of Jamaica Ltd. in 1994. With John’s experience and expertise in manufacturing, the father and son team became experts in the craft of roasting and blending coffee beans. Today, the company is one of ten Jamaican roasters recognized and licensed by the Jamaican Coffee Industry Board.
The Coffee Roasters of Jamaica Ltd. has continued the tradition of roasting their coffee in small gas fired roasters, which results in a subtle and multi-layered taste of their coffee. The use of other, available modern methods and processes used in industrialized coffee has never been part of their approach. Hence, the full-bodied flavor and distinctive aroma of The Coffee Roasters of Jamaica’s 100% authentic Blue Mountain® coffee is recognized all over the world.
Look for the ‘100 percent Blue Mountain®’ endorsement labels when buying coffee at retailers island-wide. For online purchases visit www.countrytraders.com.
THE WORLD’S FINEST JAMAICA BLUE MOUNTAIN® COFFEE
NORMA BENGHIAT
Be on the lookout for Norma Benghiat’s book “The World’s Finest; Jamaica Blue Mountain® Coffee” to learn more about the world famous coffee and delicious recipes.
“The World’s Finest” traces the early history of coffee and takes readers from the history of coffee planting in colonial Jamaica to modern day growing and harvesting techniques.
Features include old plantation houses as well as traditional and modern roasting and brewing techniques.In the recipe section, the author’s culinary talent is accessible even to the novice chef. Revealing recipes for hot and cold coffee drinks, desserts, sweets, sauces and even main courses, coffee lovers will appreciate why this is so much more than a coffee table book.
A delight for coffee connoisseurs as well as general readers, the book is lavishly illustrated with specially commissioned photographs, maps and prints of the coffee cultivation process, from the planting of the seed to the final export of the bean.
Published by Ian Randle Publishers, Kingston and available in stores island-wide or at www.ianrandlepublishers.com.
Rising 7,402 feet above sea level, the majestic Blue Mountains are considered the most scenic mountains in the Caribbean. Stretching between Port Antonio and Kingston, the fertile area house tiny, quaint settlements, excellent hiking trails and breathtaking panoramas. They are also the home of Blue Mountain® coffee. At about 3,000 feet, several small plantations dot the mountainside and offer a welcome opportunity to stop and enjoy a cup of the world’s best coffee to the backdrop of awesome scenery.
With a temperature of around 60 degrees Fahrenheit at higher elevation, the Blue Mountains pose an ideal climate in which to grow the Arabica bean. More fragile, but larger and more flavorful than the widely used Robusta bean, it contains less caffeine and produces a better quality of coffee. Hand-picked, the harvest of Blue Mountain® coffee beans is laborious and occurs only when the beans, or ‘cherries’ as they are dubbed locally, are ripe.
In 1953 the government decreed that only coffee grown between 2,000 – 5,000 feet in a specific region of the Blue Mountain range could be certified as 100 percent ‘Blue Mountain® Coffee’. Coffee beans from these areas are processed by four estates: Mavis Bank, Silver Hill, Moy Hall and the Government Station at Wallenford. Any other coffee grown in the Blue Mountains is graded ‘High Mountain’ or ‘Low-Land’ coffee. According to the quality-control system established by the Coffee Industry Board, identifying marks and labels on all Blue Mountain® coffee packages assure premier quality and indicate whether the coffee is a blend or 100 percent.
In the 1990s, the Fletcher family found that many everyday habits of early Jamaican lifestyle were disappearing in the heart of Kingston, including the aroma of real Blue Mountain® coffee. Committed to bringing coffee roasting back to its traditionally high standards, Mark and John Fletcher established The Coffee Roasters of Jamaica Ltd. in 1994. With John’s experience and expertise in manufacturing, the father and son team became experts in the craft of roasting and blending coffee beans. Today, the company is one of ten Jamaican roasters recognized and licensed by the Jamaican Coffee Industry Board.
The Coffee Roasters of Jamaica Ltd. has continued the tradition of roasting their coffee in small gas fired roasters, which results in a subtle and multi-layered taste of their coffee. The use of other, available modern methods and processes used in industrialized coffee has never been part of their approach. Hence, the full-bodied flavor and distinctive aroma of The Coffee Roasters of Jamaica’s 100% authentic Blue Mountain® coffee is recognized all over the world.
Look for the ‘100 percent Blue Mountain®’ endorsement labels when buying coffee at retailers island-wide. For online purchases visit www.countrytraders.com.
THE WORLD’S FINEST JAMAICA BLUE MOUNTAIN® COFFEE
NORMA BENGHIAT
Be on the lookout for Norma Benghiat’s book “The World’s Finest; Jamaica Blue Mountain® Coffee” to learn more about the world famous coffee and delicious recipes.
“The World’s Finest” traces the early history of coffee and takes readers from the history of coffee planting in colonial Jamaica to modern day growing and harvesting techniques.
Features include old plantation houses as well as traditional and modern roasting and brewing techniques.In the recipe section, the author’s culinary talent is accessible even to the novice chef. Revealing recipes for hot and cold coffee drinks, desserts, sweets, sauces and even main courses, coffee lovers will appreciate why this is so much more than a coffee table book.
A delight for coffee connoisseurs as well as general readers, the book is lavishly illustrated with specially commissioned photographs, maps and prints of the coffee cultivation process, from the planting of the seed to the final export of the bean.
Published by Ian Randle Publishers, Kingston and available in stores island-wide or at www.ianrandlepublishers.com.
